There’s a saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” and we can think of no finer example this glorious October morn than the feud currently ongoing over at Moreno Valley between City Councilman and 2018 Mayorial candidate Jeff Giba and City Manager Tom DeSantis, along with his City Hall toadies and enablers including City Clerk Pat Jacquez-Nares, City Attorney Martin Koczanowicz, and of course Big Mama Baca and her boys.

Longtime TMC readers will undoubtedly remember the controversial former Riverside Assistant City Manager, either from his days impersonating a law enforcement officer – complete with cold-plated vehicles, handguns purchased from the Police Department, and intimidation of citizens – or the rumored limited edition bootleg DVD of his infamous backseat romp in a public parking garage with a subordinate in the pre- #metoo days. The totality of his actions became such an embarrassment, a feat in and amongst itself for that time period in the ole’ River City, that he was shuttled out of town quickly and quietly in September of 2010 by City Manager Hustlin’ Brad Hudson, an original gangster in the Riverside Renaissance scheme of last decade that left citizens with $2 billion in debt with no way to pay for it without breaking the bank (i.e. the taxpayers).

Tommy’s job at MoVal? Analyzing public works contracts (cue eerie music connoting foreshadowing) – specifically, Highland Fairview projects (Skechers and a health-care campus on 200 acres near the Riverside County Regional Medical Center) being proposed by now notorious developer/political gangster Iddo Benzeevi that were stuck in administrative muckety muck, aka non-compliance with what is commonly referred to as da’ rulz (at least the ones you and I have to play by).

By the Fall of 2011, Garcia had of course canned his Public Works Director, some might say because of DeSantis’ critical reports, and HR Director…and conveniently DeSantis was available to be named as the HR replacement … despite no previous experience in HR that we could find! At the same time, the city’s land development division, then under public works, was shifted to economic development under Director Barry Foster – lo’ and behold, the husband of another of Tom’s former Riverside colleagues, Public Works Director Shioban Foster. Barry would be fired in 2013 along with Garcia as allegations of their involvement with Marcelo Co’s code problems and the rammed-through Benzeevi projects emerged via several successful employee lawsuits, with DeSantis (of course) playing a central role in the drama.

Councilman Giba sent this letter to all city staff, June 26th, with his concerns about the disparate treatment he was receiving at the hands of DeSantis and City Clerk Jacquez-Nares. The letter was in response to purportedly-illegal restrictions on getting information about City affairs levied on Giba only (the supervisor) by the two executives (the supervised). Given the circumstances one might posture that the inmates are indeed running the asylum in Moreno Valley, but we at TMC know who’s really in charge of the game (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), designed specifically to limit transparency and undermine an elected official with a minority viewpoint.

The Buck Stops Here! Let No Sunshine In Big Mama and her boys, “Ick”stian Guttierrez and Ulises Uselis Cabrera

DeSantis/Jacquez-Nares Directives to Elected Official – Only in MoVal!

The current scheme of course could not be pulled off without justification offered from City Attorney Koczanowicz, in his chief role as giving out farcical legal opinions favoring whichever-way-the-political-wind-blows (as seems to be the primary qualification of a California City Attorney these days). You gotta love an attorney who signs off on depriving their boss of their rights to due process and in-turn allows his co-workers to serve as judge, jury, and executioners towards their OWN COMPLAINTS! Can you say Greg-Priamos-wannabe?

But it gets better: DeSantis instructed the email containing Giba’s letter be deleted from the inboxes of all employees with Koczanowicz’ concurrence. Unrepentant and unafraid, Giba proceeded to try to send the very same letters via inter-office mail to all employees. Once again, DeSantis intercepted them, this time with Koczanowicz, doing his best John Dean impersonation, accusing Giba of attempting to violate FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission) rules on campaign-related mass mailings.

Undeterred, Giba would seek guidance from the FPPC itself. The FPPC would of course agree with Giba – no violations of law were possible because the contents of his letter were non-campaign-related – proving City Attorney Koczanowicz to be either incompetent or corrupt. Giba would attempt to distribute his letter to employees a 3rd time…and be intercepted again by DeSantis, this time with Koczanowicz determining his letter violated THE VERY SAME ORDINANCE GIBA WAS CITING AS PROOF HE COULD MAKE DIRECT INQUIRIES OF STAFF. Someone needs to inform party-hardy-Marty that only legislators can legislate, and it’s not something that can be delegated; i.e. executives cannot implement their own self-serving policies out of thin air.

Letter from FPPC – “Perceived improprieties in City management function”

We would laugh more if the plot didn’t have a such a sad ending for the stakeholders in Moreno Valley. The best we can hope for is enough residents are awake to usher in change on November 6th and clean house with staff.

ATTORNEY: Doctor Giba, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
GIBA: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
GIBA: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
GIBA: No..
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
GIBA: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
GIBA: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
GIBA: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Part II (coming soon): Mayor “Ick”stian Gutierrez’s direct role in silencing dissent, along with his 2 court jesters

Part III (coming soon): Skate park and amphitheater shenanigans

Part IV: Coming to a theater near you!?

TMC, RATED RIVERSIDE REGIONAL COUNTIES MOST, “SCANDALOUS,” “NEGATIVE,” “WARPED,” “RAUNCHY,” “LOW CLASS,” “VISIONS OF GRANDEUR,” “FULL OF B.S.,” “REPREHENSIBLE,” “IGNORANT,” “MISGUIDED,” “BULLYISH,” “INDECENT,” “REPUGNANT,””IMMORAL,” “FILTHY,” “VILE,” “SICK,” “PERVERTED,” “DEFAMATORY,” “STUPID,” “PATHETIC,” “DESPICABLE,” “DISAPPOINTING,” “BELOW THE BELT,” “A NEW LOW,” “SHOCKING,” “OFFENSIVE,” “OBNOXIOUS,” “INAPPROPRIATE,” “HURTFUL,” “MEAN SPIRITED,” “DISTASTEFUL,” “EMBARRASSING,” HORIFFIC,” “SLANDEROUS” “FIT TO BE VIEWED FROM THE REAR” AND MEZZSPELLED, “MISSPELLED” AND “OPINIONATED” BLOG SITE! YES WE ADMIT WE OUR ALL OF THAT AND MORE, WHICH IN CURRENT TERMS IS KNOWN AS “UNPOLITICALLY CORRECT.” TEMPORARILY BLOCKED BY THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE AT PUBLIC ACCESS SITES WITHIN THE CITY, THEN UNBLOCKED. I GUESS YOU CANNOT DO THAT ACCORDING TO THE ACLU. RATED ONE STAR OUT OF FIVE IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY APPROVAL RATINGS.. … AGAIN, THANK YOU COMMUNITY OF RIVERSIDE AND THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE EMPLOYEE’S FOR YOUR SUPPORT! CONTACT US: thirtymilescorruption@hotmail.com

While entertaining, you’ve stretched quite a bit on this one. Anybody whose met Giba knows him to be full of crap and of himself. Moreno Valley voters blew it when they allowed Beenzevi to buy Giba his Council seat, but they’ll have a chance to better the future when Giba looses on Tuesday.